Archive for the ‘test’ tag
Quick Hands on: Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZF.2 Lens for Nikon
While Chris was getting his hands on, at At Photo Plus Expo 2011, with the Zeiss 25mm f2 for Canon EF I was doing something I tried to avoid, playing with the Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZF.2, lest I be tempted to whip out the credit card. I have played with a few macro lenses, but this is a totally different beast. In the quick moments I had with this lens, I was thoroughly impressed. This lens is a seductress.
Review: The Profoto D1 Studio Kit 500/500 Air
Sometimes our readers ask for us to review higher end gear. With that in mind we decided to test the Profoto D1 Studio Kit 500/500 with Air. It’s fairly undisputed that Profoto is the best-of-breed for studio lighting and chances are pretty high that if you walk into a professional studio and rent their gear you’ll be handed Profoto power packs and heads. They’re reliable, consistent, fast, durable and include every feature the demanding professional expects. They’re not as well known for their more portable monolights, so how let’s see how they stand up.
Note: A rep from Profoto just read my article and sent some corrections and clarifications. Edits are in bold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Very Quick Test: Sigma 85mm f1.4 vs Canon 85mm f1.2 L (First Impressions)
Canon 85mm f1.2 ISO 800 f2.2 1/160th
Not long ago, Sigma’s reps called me up to ask about my comparison of the Sigma 85mm f1.4 vs the Canon 85mm f1.8. While they thought the comparison to be fair and informative, they were curious to know why I didn’t compare it against the Canon 85mm f1.2; a lens that it is often compared to. After some talks, I decided to go ahead and do it.
This post is the first of a two part series and was conducted very quickly using my friend Katie in Midtown Manhattan.
Raw File Comparison: Olympus EP3 vs Sony NEX C3
We previously did a full on comparison of the Sony NEX C3 and the Olympus EP3. Now that their raw files can we tweaked in Adobe Lightroom 3, we can compare and contrast their output. Not long ago, we analyzed the EP3′s and then the C3′s. Without further adieu, we present a comparison of the files from the perspective of someone shooting real life—and not some crazy lab test.
Be sure to also check out our full review of the Olympus EP3 and Sony NEX C3.
Read the rest of this entry »
Field Review: Lomography DianaF+ 38mm & 20mm Fisheye Lenses with Nikon F Mount
Ever since I learned about them, and Chris Gampat got his hands on them, I wanted to test the Diana F+ lenses out. There was something interesting about going lo-fi with things—the idea of mixing up the everyday rotation and doing something a little different is attractive. These lenses are meant for The Diana F+ Camera, but Lomography came out with a nifty F Mount so that you could use them on your Nikon cameras.
High ISO Test: Olympus EP3 vs Canon 5D Mk II vs 7D
According to DXoMark, the Fuji X100 has an amazing sensor and it has been rated to be better than the Canon 5D Mk II and the 7D (correction: the 5D Mk II is still rated to be better). With the announcement of the Olympus EP3, I decided to put the camera against the two DSLRs myself. So how does the new internally developed sensor do against the mainstream giants?
Disclaimer: Yes, we know the sensor are different sizes. Yes, we know that you’ll go over to other sites to look for this information anyway. Yes, we are trying to answer the question for you.
